Available normal year, medium emissions results for river section 'Tipton to confluence of Wolverhampton and Olbury Arms, Bescot'
The following data is available for your chosen river reach. To view the data you are interested in, just follow the link from its name.
General Quality Assessment (GQA) data
General Quality Assessment (GQA) data: GQA measures the overall water quality of the river – i.e. it is a way of telling at a glance how clean the water is in a section of the river.
Hydro data
Hydrology - Flow data: Flow data measures how fast the river is flowing on average throughout all of its depths.
Hydrology - Stage data: Stage data measures how fast the river is flowing at a particular depth.
Water quality data
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): BOD is a measure of how much oxygen in the river is used up by decaying organic material like dead plants and animals and things washed into the river by storm water runoff. A high BOD is bad as it means there is lots of rotting matter and less oxygen is available for fish and other river life.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO): DO is a measure of how much oxygen is available in the river for the plants and animals to use. A low DO is bad as it means that little oxygen is available, which may cause the river life to die.
Ammonia: Ammonia is an important source of nitrogen for river plants. It is also very alkaline. All plants need a source of nitrogen in order to grow. However, if the nitrogen levels are too high then plant growth can get out of hand, with the resulting increase in dead matter causing a big increase in Biochemical Oxygen Demand. This in turn means that the amount of oxygen in the river falls and fish and other river life may die. This process is known as eutrophication. Also, because it is alkaline, a high level of ammonia may cause the pH (acidity) of the river water to change which can harm the river life.
Temperature: Temperature is a measure of how warm the water in the river is. In general, colder water contains more life as it can hold more dissolved oxygen. Big increases in water temperature caused by industrial discharge, or by reduction of water flow where dams are operating, or soil erosion may harm the natural river life.
Other options
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